THE BUSINESSThe Registrar of Companies and Close Corporations issued the ALLFLIGHT CC certificate of incorporation on 31 October 2003. The CC has two members, HJ van Rensburg (55% interest) and HJJ van Rensburg (45% interest). The registered office is in the Carnival City Casino Complex, Elsburg road, Brakpan.

Our main business is the training and racing of pigeons to the loft in Carnival City.

THE LOFT

ALLFLIGHT CC acquired a magnificent loft from Sky Comrades CC (in liquidation) in October 2003. The loft was built in the first half of 2002 by A.P.I Poultry, a business that specializes in the construction of automated chicken houses. The loft stands 0.8m from the ground suspended by three brick walls with air vents. The floor consists of plastic grid slats (grid size 2.5cm x 2.5cm) through which pigeon droppings fall onto a concrete slab where it is cleaned periodically. The loft frame and roof trusses were manufactured from rectangular steel tubing and flat bar. The steel frames are covered with 19mm thick wooden sheets. Roof covering was done using Chromadek sheets and alucushion bubble foil to insulate the loft.Each of the 58 compartments is 2.1m high, 3m deep and 2.4m wide and is fitted with wooden perches designed in such a way that the pigeons’ wing and tail feathers will not touch the perch walls. All droppings roll off at the back of the perches.TRAINING AND LOFT MANAGEMENTHead trainer and managerHerman van Rensburg has an excellent track record in training birds for one-loft races. After a short visit to Saudi Arabia in 1999 the management team of the Million Dollar Pigeon Race recruited him to train their birds in Sun City. In the January 2000 race (his first) Herman had over 250 birds back within an hour of the first two dropping. The MDPR numbers were boosted in 2000/01 with birds taking part in the XXVII FCI World Championship race and Herman and his team took care of over 2 700 pigeons. On the day of the World Championship Race adverse weather conditions prevailed and management decided to bring the pigeons back 50 km for a flight of 400km (300 miles). Despite the weather a group of 23 pigeons dropped together, the World Championship being decided on trapping. The returns were very good. Herman was awarded a certificate from the FCI Olympiad committee for his part in the success of the event. The returns in the main race two weeks later were equally good with all positions being filled on the day, despite a relatively low winning velocity of about 1 000 metres per minute. Herman was also the head trainer for the now defunct Sky Comrades in Carnival City in 2002. In their main race under extreme heat conditions and with showers along the way the pigeons took a long time in reaching home but once they started coming the returns were good with a total of 70% back by nightfall on day 2.

Born in 1973, Herman started racing pigeons at the age of 12 years in Klerksdorp, Northwest province. After three successful racing seasons and numerous wins the family moved to Gauteng and joined the West Rand Pigeon Union where Herman raced in partnership with his father. Here they soon made their mark, winning the club young bird and short distance averages on a regular basis, as well as having the best bird in the club more than once.

Since 1997 they are members of the strong Alberton club to the south of Johannesburg where they won the long distances averages in 1997 and the ADRPC single and all birds averages in 1998, when they also had the best bird. Because of his involvement in the MDPR race in Sun City Herman left the racing to his father for two years and accepts neither the blame for an average season in 1999 nor the credit for a good season in 2000. He came back to earth in 2001 and has been competitive ever since. Last year (2003) saw him win four classic races in Alberton club, one being the Union Challenge in the THU. He finished 2nd in the THU classic averages behind Tom Lock, third in the Union short distance averages and 5th in the single birds averages, beaten only by Peet Hartman, Tom Lock, Cyril Leibach and the Boshoff family.

Herman was drafted to serve on club and organization committees at an early age. He became chairman of Witpoortjie Posduifklub on the West Rand before his 21st birthday. His organizational skills are well known as evidenced by the successful series of races from Glen a few years ago and the many club auctions, pigeon shows, functions and other events where he played a leading role.Finance and administrationBorn in 1948, the year in which the state of Israel was founded, Herman van Rensburg senior has often been called a Jew by people who do business with him. His mentors in business include people like Dave Brink, deputy chairman of ABSA, Engineer of the year in 1994 who also served on the Nedlac Executive Council and was co-chair of the Business Trust; the businessman Derek Keyes who later became Minister of Finance, and also the well-known Brian Gilbertson, past chairman of the Billiton group and icon in the mining industry. Working with these and other top-class businessmen in places like Stilfontein, Roodepoort, Johannesburg, London and The Hague in the Netherlands rubbed off and Herman is fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from giants like them.

Herman has been around the block more than once with diverse titles like audit clerk, financial accountant, management accountant, projects accountant, financial advisor, administrative manager, financial manager and even director behind his name. The only job he has not done is that of dominee, although he is on good terms with the two dominees who also run one-loft races and he did share a residence with quite a few future members of the cloth during his days of study at Potchefstroom University.

Herman obtained the B Comm. degree with distinctions in Financial Accounting III and Corporate Law II in his final year. He completed the first of a two-year B Comm. Honours course in Auditing and Taxation but his studies were cut short by a car accident that also resulted in him loosing the use of his voice. The damage was later partially repaired in an operation and although he cannot sing like Rod Stewart a few females have looked up sharply when they heard him talk for the first time.

His experience in identifying and evaluating new projects and bringing them to fruition came to good stead when the opportunity arose to take over the loft at Carnival City. He and Herman junior spend many hours in throwing around numbers and by the time they made their offer to the liquidators of Sky Comrades CC they both knew that they had the right business plan to make a success of this venture.

Like his son, Herman also served on various pigeon club and organization committees, mostly as secretary and treasurer. It is the latter in which he particularly prides himself, always leaving the finances of the organization in a better shape than what he found it.

For some reason certain pigeon fanciers believe that the old man does not know much about pigeon racing but they would do well to remember that in 2000 with the junior at Sun City he still managed to win five club races which included two classics and a Federation win. This remains a touchy subject in the Van Rensburg household but the old toppie’s Matjiesfontein (1 058km or 660 miles) result in that year has not yet been repeated: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 9th with only nine birds back in the club by the time the clocks were read. The junior still believes it was his telephonic advice on muti, the mother believes it was her way of tossing the birds, who knows. Let’s just say it was good teamwork, and let us all rest assured that the same team will be looking after your birds and the business you have entrusted them to.